Electronic component footprint verification system and a method thereof

ABSTRACT

An electronic component footprint verification system and a method thereof are provided in the present disclosure. The system is available to an external user for selecting an electronic component footprint to be verified, reading a verification rule checklist in an external database, extracting characteristics of the electronic component footprint, accessing characteristic data from the electronic component footprint, verifying the characteristic data based on the verification rule checklist, and displaying a verification result.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to an electronic component footprint verification system and a method thereof.

2. Description of the Prior Art

A circuit layout engineer usually draws footprints of electronic components with pads, creating a footprint database during the PCB layout process for follow-up circuit layouts.

Currently, most drawing files for footprints of electronic components with pads which are fully created should be checked manually for any existing mistakes. However, the manual inspection to check the correctness of footprints of electronic components with pads in the verification process poses a risk to PCB design and manufacturing because the inspection is unable to deal with new and continuously emerging electronic components.

The present disclosure provides a solution for PCB layouts without the above-mentioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A technical solution to execute electronic component footprint verification automatically is provided in the present disclosure.

To this end, the present disclosure relates to an electronic component footprint verification system. The system includes a user interface, a setup regulation module, an application programming interface setup instruction module, a characteristic extraction module, a data processing module and a component footprint verification module. The user interface is available to an external user and is used to select an electronic component footprint to be verified. The electronic component footprint conforms to file formats of a corresponding circuit layout system. The setup regulation module connected to the user interface is used to read a verification rule checklist in an external database as a verification basis in the future. The application programming interface setup instruction module provides an application programming interface by which a circuit layout system is accessed. The characteristic extraction module is used to extract characteristics of the electronic component footprint. The data processing module is connected to the user interface, the application programming interface setup instruction module and the characteristic extraction module for operating the application programming interface as well as the characteristic extraction module and accessing characteristic data from the electronic component footprint. The component footprint verification module connected to the user interface is used to verify the characteristic data according to the verification rule checklist for the display of a verification result on the user interface.

The present disclosure further provides a method of an electronic component footprint verification system. The method includes the following steps : select an electronic component footprint which is to be verified and corresponds to file formats of a corresponding circuit layout system; read a verification rule checklist in an external database as a verification basis in the future; provide an application programming interface by which the circuit layout system is accessed; characteristic data is extracted from the electronic component footprint through the application programming interface; the characteristic data is verified according to the verification rule checklist for the display of a verification result.

In summary, according to the inventive subject matter, an electronic component footprint verification system and a method thereof are applicable to automatic verification of electronic component footprints by analyzing and checking characteristic data of an electronic component footprint.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The technical content, purposes and effects of an electronic component footprint verification system and a method thereof in the present disclosure are further explained in preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings which are shown as follows:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic component footprint verification system according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for a method of an electronic component footprint verification system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram for the operation of an electronic component footprint verification system.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for a reading process of an electronic component footprint verification system.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of fully created electronic component footprint.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

An electronic component footprint verification system and a method thereof are explained in preferred embodiments; however, these embodiments should not be considered as examples to limit the scope of the patent application.

Referring to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram of an electronic component footprint verification system 1 in the first embodiment. The system includes a user interface 11, a setup regulation module 12, an application programming interface setup instruction module 13, a characteristic extraction module 14, a data processing module 15 and a component footprint verification module 16. The user interface 11 is available to an external user 2 for selecting an electronic component footprint FP (FIG. 5) to be verified wherein the electronic component footprint FP conforms to file formats of a corresponding circuit layout system. The setup regulation module 12 connected to the user interface 11 is used to read a verification rule checklist in an external database 3 as a verification basis in the future. The application programming interface setup instruction module 13 provides an application programming interface by which a circuit layout system is accessed. The characteristic extraction module 14 is used to extract characteristics of the electronic component footprint FP. The data processing module 15 is connected to the user interface 11, the application programming interface setup instruction module 13 and the characteristic extraction module 14 for operating the application programming interface as well as the characteristic extraction module 14 and accessing characteristic data from the electronic component footprint FP. The component footprint verification module 16 connected to the user interface 11 is used to verify the characteristic data according to the verification rule checklist for the display of a verification result on the user interface 11.

In another embodiment, the verification rule checklist further includes at least one of the following: pin design rules, pin-to-pin spacing rules, assembly rules, silkscreen rules, DFA (Design For Assembly) bound rules, probe contact rules, place bound rules, body center rules, and footprint information rules.

The user interface 11, the setup regulation module 12, the application programming interface setup instruction module 13, the characteristic extraction module 14, the data processing module 15 and the component footprint verification module 16 in the electronic component footprint verification system 1 are provided with a software module executed in a processor or a chip with programmable digital circuits. The circuit layout system is a software program for PCB (printed circuit board) circuit layouts for example PCB design software, such as without limitation, Protel, OrCAD, and Allegro. In a further embodiment, the electronic component footprint is a footprint of an electronic component mounted on a PCB.

In yet another embodiment, the data processing module 15 is used to normalize the characteristic data. In yet a further embodiment, the normalization is to transform the characteristic data to another file format including, without limitation, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and XML (Extensible Markup Language). In still a further embodiment, the characteristic data includes at least one of the following: pin-out information, geometric pattern information, and text description information of the corresponding electronic component footprint.

Referring to FIG. 2, which is a flow chart for a method of an electronic component footprint verification system in the second embodiment. The method is comprised of the following steps:

S101: select an electronic component footprint which is to be verified and corresponds to file formats of a circuit layout system.

S102: read a verification rule checklist in an external database as a verification basis in the future.

S103: provide an application programming interface by which the circuit layout system is accessed.

S104: characteristic data is extracted from the electronic component footprint through the application programming interface.

S105: the characteristic data is verified according to the verification rule checklist for the display of a verification result.

In another embodiment, the verification rule checklist in the method further includes at least one of the following: pin-out design rules, pin-to-pin spacing rules, assembly rules, silkscreen rules, DFA (Design For Assembly) bound rules, probe contact rules, place bound rules, body center rules, and footprint information rules. In a further embodiment, the method is used in the normalization of the characteristic data. In yet another embodiment, the normalization in the method is to transform the characteristic data to another format including, without limitation, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), XML (Extensible Markup Language) and other equivalents. In still a further embodiment, the characteristic data in the method further includes at least one of the following: pin-out information, geometric pattern information, and text description information of the corresponding electronic component footprint.

An electronic component footprint verification system 1 in the present disclosure is explained in the first embodiment; moreover, a method of an electronic component footprint verification system in the second embodiment features equivalent or similar technical effects. Referring to FIG. 3, which is a sequence diagram for the operation of the electronic component footprint verification system 1. FIG. 3 describes the following steps:

P201: an electronic component footprint to be verified is selected by a user 2 through the electronic component footprint verification system 1.

P202: information of the electronic component footprint is entered by the user 2 through the electronic component footprint verification system 1.

P203: setup regulations are selected by the user 2 through the electronic component footprint verification system 1.

P204: a verification process is executed by the electronic component footprint verification system 1.

P205: setup regulations are queried in a database 3 by the electronic component footprint verification system 1.

P206: characteristics of the designated electronic component footprint FP are extracted by the electronic component footprint verification system 1.

P207: the characteristic data of the electronic component footprint FP is accessed by the electronic component footprint verification system 1.

P208: a verification process is executed by the electronic component footprint verification system 1 according to the setup regulations.

P209: a verification result is shown on a display interface for the user 2 by the electronic component footprint verification system 1.

In P201˜P204 of the sequence diagram, the user 2 is able to choose an electronic component footprint to be verified, setup regulations, component assembly information, component information, etc. on the user interface 11.

Then, the user 2 is able to select or enter pad parameters of an electronic component including, without limitation, pad type, pad shape, pad size, pad-to-pad spacing, pad-to-assembly spacing, plated or non-plated type, margin of error, and special mark (for example, the first pad marked as Pin 1). The pad type selectable herein includes for example SMD (surface-mount devices), DIP (dual in-line package), Via, and others.

In P205 of the sequence diagram, the electronic component footprint verification system 1 issues SQL instructions to the database 3 for reading a designated verification rule checklist. To read the file content of a specific circuit layout system, the electronic component footprint verification system 1 provides an application programming interface (API) at the application programming interface setup instruction module 13 to access multiple circuit layout systems in a reading process (FIG. 4) with detailed steps as follows:

P301: the characteristic data of the footprint is accessed by the data processing module 15 according to the instructions of the electronic component footprint verification system 1.

P302: a designated API instruction is provided by the application programming interface setup instruction module 13 according to instructions of the data processing module 15.

P303: the characteristic data of the footprint is accessed by the characteristic extraction module 14 according to instructions of the data processing module 15.

P304: the data format of the characteristic data of the footprint is transformed by the data processing module 15.

P305: the characteristic data of the footprint conforming to the data the format of JSON is sent back by the data processing module 15.

The data file format of JSON includes pin-out information, geometric pattern information and text description information: the pin-out information records pin-out names, pin-out coordinates, pin-out numbers, and PCB layer sizes/shapes; the geometric pattern information records information of pads in each PCB layer as well as layer data and object attributes of a corresponding circuit layout system, for example, line segment & shaped segment, starting point coordinate, end point coordinate, etc.; the text description information records text content, text coordinate, text angle, text direction, text size, space occupied by texts, etc.

To ensure the electronic component footprint is correct and without errors, the component footprint verification module 16 verifies the following items. For convenience, the schematic view of the electronic component footprint FP in FIG. 5 is explained hereafter:

LIST_1: Pin-out verification (Verification No.: VF_1) to verify pin-out name, pin-out layer and pin-to-pin spacing.

LIST_2: Assembly verification (Verification No.: VF_2) to verify an assembly's total length and width.

LIST_3: Silkscreen verification (Verification No.: VF_3) to verify the location of a line segment as well as the distance between a line segment and a pin-out and check the safe distance between any two pads of a component in addition to an assembly's identical position (VF_2).

LIST_4: Dfa_Bound verification to verify an assembly described and pad areas (Dfa_Bound must match VF_1 and VF_2).

LIST_5: Place_Bound verification (Verification No.: VF_4) which is similar to Dfa_Bound verification wherein Dfa_Bound amplified is equivalent to Place_Bound (Place_Bound is greater than Dfa_Bound according to rules) and Place_Bound verification is applicable to verifying a component's height.

LIST_6: No_Probe verification which is similar to Place_Bound verification but not available for verification of a component's height.

LIST_7: Body Center verification (Verification No.: VF_5) is to verify the label at the body center by displaying information such as text content, text graphics, and the electronic component footprint's central coordinates.

LIST_8: Footprint Information verification to verify correctness of footprint information.

LIST_9: Sign verification (Verification No.: VF_6) is to verify a labeled component's functional characteristics such as pad sequence, direction to mount a connector, PCB edge, and the component's properties and functions.

LIST_10: Keep out verification is to verify descriptions of one component for a PCB process such as structure and property which induce some restrictive conditions in the process.

The above examples are used to explain feasible embodiments in the present disclosure; however, the embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the patent application. Any equivalent modification or change without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure should be incorporated in the claims thereinafter.

Many changes and modifications in the above described embodiment of the invention can, of course, be carried out without departing from the scope thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic component footprint verification system, comprising: a user interface available to an external user for selecting an electronic component footprint to be verified wherein the electronic component footprint conforms to file formats of a corresponding circuit layout system; a setup regulation module connected to the user interface for reading a verification rule checklist in an external database as a verification basis in the future; an application programming interface setup instruction module providing an application programming interface by which a circuit layout system is accessed; a characteristic extraction module used to extract characteristics of the electronic component footprint; a data processing module connected to the user interface, the application programming interface setup instruction module and the characteristic extraction module for operating the application programming interface as well as the characteristic extraction module and accessing characteristic data from the electronic component footprint; and a component footprint verification module connected to the user interface for verification of the characteristic data according to the verification rule checklist and the display of a verification result on the user interface
 2. An electronic component footprint verification system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the verification rule checklist comprises at least one of component footprint setup regulations, pin-out design rules, pin-to-pin spacing rules, assembly rules, silkscreen rules, DFA (Design For Assembly) bound rules, probe contact rules, place bound rules, body center rules, and footprint information rules.
 3. An electronic component footprint verification system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the data processing module is used in normalization of the characteristic data.
 4. An electronic component footprint verification system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the normalization is to transform the characteristic data to another format including, without limitation, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and XML (Extensible Markup Language).
 5. An electronic component footprint verification system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the characteristic data further comprises at least one of pin-out information, geometric pattern information, and text description information of the corresponding electronic component footprint.
 6. A method of an electronic component footprint verification system, comprising the following steps: select an electronic component footprint which is to be verified and corresponds to file formats of a circuit layout system; read a verification rule checklist in an external database as a verification basis in the future; provide an application programming interface by which the circuit layout system is accessed; characteristic data is extracted from the electronic component footprint through the application programming interface; and the characteristic data is verified according to the verification rule checklist for display of a verification result.
 7. A method of an electronic component footprint verification system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the verification rule checklist further comprises at least one of component footprint setup regulations, pin-out design rules, pin-to-pin spacing rules, assembly rules, silkscreen rules, DFA (Design For Assembly) bound rules, probe contact rules, place bound rules, body center rules, and footprint information rules.
 8. A method of an electronic component footprint verification system as claimed in claim 6 for normalization of the characteristic data.
 9. A method of an electronic component footprint verification system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the normalization is to transform the characteristic data to another format including, without limitation, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and XML (Extensible Markup Language).
 10. A method of an electronic component footprint verification system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the characteristic data further comprises at least one of pin-out information, geometric pattern information, and text description information of the corresponding electronic component footprint. 